14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Ubisoft working on the Assassin’s Creed franchise says that the entire ending of the series has already been laid out internally, although the company currently has no plans to make it a part of the actual game.
Ashraf Ismail, the director working on the most recent installment, Black Flag, tells Eurogamer that “The brand team that sits on top and is filled with writers and designers concerned with the series’ overall arc. So there is an overall arc, and each iteration has its place inside this. We have an idea of where the end is, what the end is.”
At the moment, the various teams working on Assassin’s Creed games have the freedom to tell their own stories and can influence the ending of the franchise in small but significant ways.
The fact that many titles are created in parallel also gives the studio the tools to introduce hints and foreshadowing that fans will appreciate.
The game director of Black Flag adds, “We’re now able to seed stuff earlier and earlier in our games. So for example in Assassin’s Creed 4 we have Edward, who was seeded in Assassin’s Creed 3. But there’s a lot more stuff in our game that is hinting at other possibilities.”
The most recent title takes gamers to the Caribbean with a single-player adventure that will focus on ship-to-ship battles while also giving players a chance to explore the towns of the archipelago.
The game will also have a story portion set during present day, with an all-new protagonist.
Those playing on the PlayStation brand of home consoles will also get access to a number of exclusive Avelline missions.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will be launched on the PC and on home consoles on October 29 in North America, and on November 1 in Europe.
Versions for the Xbox One and the PS4 are also being created.